Improvement in chairs



E. J. SMITH. Chair.

No..198 21. Patented Dec. 18,1877,

Ann" ull-F wrr s INVENTOR WZJ, 11 C @M.

G G: Y ATTORNEYS N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHlNu|uN I) u.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- 'EtDRInGE J. SMITH, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,421, dated December18,1877; application filed I November 24, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELDRDDGE J. SMITH, of Washington, in the county ofWashington and District of Columbia, have invented a new and valuableImprovementin Chairs and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis specification, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal verticalsection of my chair, and Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same.

The nature of my invention relates to rocking-chairs 5 and it consistsin a novel construction of the upper cross-slat of the back, and inhooked and curved rods attached to the wires of the flexible back, ashereinafter set forth and claimed.

The annexed drawings, to which reference is made, fully illustrate myinvention.

A A represent the front legs of the chair, extended to form the sidepieces of the back, and connected at their upper ends bya headpiece, B.O G are the rear legs extended forward, and their front ends connectedby a cross-bar, D. The lower ends of the legs AA and O O are pivoted tothe rockers G G at or near their ends, and the front legs A Aareconnected by a round or cross-bar, E, below the point of crossing ofthe legs.

To the under sides of the legs 0 O are at tached rack-bars b b, to lookupon a rod, a, which connects the legs A A, as shown. By means of theserack-bars the legs can be adjusted to set the back of the chair atdifferent angles, and yet hold the parts firmly at any point desired. 7

To prevent the parts from becoming entirely disconnected, each rack-barbis provided with lugs e e at the ends, and these lugs connected by arod, d, which runs below the rod (1.

It is very evident that the rack-bars may be arranged in slots in thelegs as well as on the outside of them, and the rod a then pass throughthe slots.

Other means for adjusting the parts may also be used without departingfrom the spirit of my invention, the essence of this feature of which isthe pivoting of the legs to the rockers, and the adjustment of the legsat the points of their crossing.

The back and seat of my chair are composed of a series of slats, I I,strung upon wires h h, which are fastened in the headpiece B andcross-bar D, and the slats separated by short spiral springs 2', orother devices, placed on the wires h, between the slats, the whole thusforming afiexible seat and back which adjust themselves to the personseated in the chair.

At the proper point of the back I employ a rod, m, upon each wire h,such rod having a hook, at, at each end, and is of such length that whenhooked on the wires h h, as shown, the slats inclosed within them willbe bulged forward, and form a rigid portion to fit in the back of theperson seated in the chair. The hooked rods m m can be easily adjustedup and down, or removed altogether, as occasion may demand.

In the construction of my chair, the rods 01 are secured in the lugs eby drilling holes in the inner ends of said lugs, nearly, but not quite,through the same, and then springing the rod into the same, whereby itis held securely in place, and cannot slide in either direction.

The head-piece B is, along its lower edge,

. formed with a flange, B, extending downward,

so that the wires h, or the first slat or slats I, will rest thereon.This is important in preventing the fabric composing the seat and backfrom being bent at too acute an angle, thereby endangering the breakingof the wire, and subjecting the occupant of the chair to inconvenienceby the head coming in contact with the sharp edge that would beotherwise formed by the lower corner of the head-pieceB.

The upper ends of the wires h are secured to the head-piece B by meansof a short metallic cross-piece, p, sunk into a mortise in thehead-piece, the wire being twisted so as to form a loop through whichsaid metallic crosspiece is passed. The mortise in the upper edge of thehead-piece B is then filled or closed by a wooden piece, 8, glued orotherwise fastened therein, to conceal the metallic cross-piece p andthe loop of the wire.

I do not, in this case, claim the fabric of which the back and seat areformed, as that is shown in another application of mine now pending.Neither do I claim a flexible chairback stifiened and curved by means ofmetallic plates fitted in pockets.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a chair having a flexible back formed of wires and slats, asdescribed, the curved and hooked rods on m, attached to the wires,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In achair having aflexible back, the headpiece B, formed with theflange B at its lower edge, and mortises in the top for fasteningsuspending-wires from cross-pieces p, sunk in said mortises,substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

ELDRIDGE J. SMITH.

Witnesses:

JOHN F. BLACKMAR, J AMZES J. SHEEHY.

